Winged
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: After word of a serious threat to Spirit World, Yusuke and the gang are sent to investigate. They find a quiet girl named Ren, and Yusuke finds himself drawn to her.
1. Conspiring on Both Sides

Reikai, yesterday, 9:30 PM

A letter was lying on Koenma's desk. He picked it up, ready to pass it to someone else, when his eyes caught the words on the front. It was his father's seal.

He opened it quickly, scanning over the words, and then called Botan.

"I need the old team for this one," he said to her.

"But Koenma we broke up the team two years ago," Botan replied.

"Well look at this!" Koenma responded, showing her the letter.

"Oh…oh my goodness," Botan said, grabbing her oar. "I will get them."

8:17 AM, Genkai's temple, Japan, Ningenkai

"Why are we here?" Hiei said irritably.

"It's the shift, isn't it?" Kuwabara asked.

"Shift? What shift?" Yusuke asked.

"My sister woke up in the middle of the night last night," Kuwabara replied. "She muttered something about the 'end of spirit world' and a 'shift in power.'"

"That's exactly what it is," Botan said.

"I never thought I'd live to see her," Genkai said.

"See who?" Yukina asked.

"There is one in every century," Genkai said. "They are usually women. Joan of Arc, Empress Suiiko, Cleopatra, Helen Keller, those are the ones that you will know. Some centuries have more than one. But once in a while you have a bad one. Like Morgan La Fey of Arthurian legend.

"Yes that's right, the file!" Botan said, handing it to them. "Morgana, or Morgan la Fey was scorned by love and tried to destroy spirit world. She knew in her time she could never have anything of her own, so she started a revolution between the human and spirit worlds. Finally, we were able to alter her memory so she knew nothing more of her own abilities. Although she eventually rediscovered her powers, the only thing she did in the end was ferry her brother to Spirit World. This was before me, so I only know what was on file."

"Now hold on a second!" Yusuke said, standing. "How can you just assume this chick is going to be bad? Remember how you did that with me and what happened?"

"Yusuke! Watch your mouth about what you don't understand!" Genkai said. "If a human with these kind of powers decides to overthrow Spirit World, then it's the end for humans and demons alike."

"Yes, that's right," Botan said. "I was told to get Yusuke on the case in particular. This girl has no idea she has powers. Her body has rejected it's own DNA, in particular, her lungs. These American doctors don't understand. She is angry, and people call her a liar, saying she is making up her illness because they can't see it. Koenma and I believed that because of your…unique experience, you would be able to help her. And stop the second Reikai Revolution before it begins."

1:21 PM ACU campus, Texas, USA (University Place Apartments)

I lay back on my twin bed in my spacious dorm room. My shoulder length brown hair splayed out around my head in waves. The hair is in strict contrast to the pallor tone of my skin.

My skin is so pale white that I have been hospitalized for anemia. The lack of iron in my blood makes my immune system weak. I get sick easily.

My face suffers from this anemia, giving me the hated dark circles, and lips with almost no color, not unless I bit them, like I was doing now, in my frustration.

You know how you can be standing in a crowd of people and feel like you are alone? I spoke the words in my head. Or maybe its more like, you know how you are alone and feel surrounded by people. No matter where you go, there is this pressured feeling of despair and sadness. And you feel weak, always weak.

And when you learn to fight, you realize how weak you truly are.

The careless words of another turn to a mantra until your own self-loathing makes you want to rip everything around you to shreds until the very universe lies dead at your feet.

I went to open the door, after hearing a series of loud knocks and some talking.

There was a boy on the other side of the door. Japanese, by the looks of it, with dark hair and brown eyes. His skin was naturally darker than mine, but then, everyone's was. He was wearing jeans and a brown t-shirt.

"May I help you?" I asked, giving him a puzzled expression.

"This is room 316, right?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "You're Ren Johstone."

"I'm Ren," I said. "But my roommate bailed on me. They said they were sending a replacement. I hope it's a chick. Wait, who did you say you were?"

"Yusuke Urameshi," he replied. "Your new roommate."

I jumped back. "W-What? B-But you're a…."

"A guy? I know," Yusuke said, grinning, pushing past me into the apartment. "But the manager told me you wouldn't mind."

"HEY!" I yelled, chasing him down. He was already in the guest room. "You can't jus—"

"Look I don't wanna do this anymore than you do," Yusuke said. "So why not make this easy on both of us and get over it already?"

He walked over to the next room. "This one yours?"

He opened the door, walking in. I didn't stop him. Not like I have anything to hide."

"Hm…what's this you're researching?" he picked up a book titled, 'Life and the Afterlife, or Understanding the Reikai.'"

"What's this here?" he asked, pulling out my print-outs from the school library. "'Reikai Tentai', that's..."

I turned and glared at Yusuke, snatching the book away. "That's private."

I put the book down and surveyed the room. "The empty desk and bookcase are yours, provided you clean up after yourself."

"But your half is a huge mess!" he complained.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I would have cleaned up if I had known he was coming. "Shut up. I lived here first so I make the rules. Just do it or I get a lock put on this door so only I can go in."

"You can't do that!" Yusuke protested angrily. "I live here too! Dammit, what's your problem?"

"The only one with the problem here is you," I replied. "I don't wanna fight all the time, okay? Let's do this like we're friends. Here's your room."

I opened a door to the guest room he had gone into first.

"Only rule," I said. "If I say I wanna be alone, then leave me the hell alone."

He held his hands up in mock-surrender. "Sure, whatever. Where's the food?"

"You think I cook?" I laughed. "Nah. There's your basic junk food in the fridge and pantry. If you can cook, be my guest and take a whack at it, but we aren't insured for fires so keep the burners on low."

I turned to leave the room, upon hearing another knock.

This time when I opened the door, it was a tall redhaired boy and a short black haired boy on the other side. The shorter fellow was clad in all black. The boy that I called 'tall' (probably average for you, I'm just rather short) was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

"Hello, I am Shuichi Minamino," the redhead greeted. "This is my roommate, Hiei. We are exchange students from Japan along with your roommate Yusuke. Has he made it yet?"

"Yeah, the jerkface is off eating all my food," I responded. "I'm Ren. Does this Hiei guy talk?"

"Yes, sometimes," Shuichi said. "He is just suffering from a bit of jetlag, I'm afraid."

Hiei twitched. "K—Shuichi. Don't put words in my mouth. I don't have jetlag. I just despise this place and its people."

I smirked. "So. You're a people-hater too. I think we are going to get along."

"Hn…I doubt that," replied Hiei.

"You guys made it," Yusuke said, coming in holding a bag of potato chips.

Shuichi smiled. "It is good to see you again, Yusuke."

"Yes, it is good to see that you didn't manage to kill yourself during travel," Hiei said, an almost smile on his face.

Yusuke glared at Hiei. "I didn't find that funny."

I sighed. "Have a fun house party guys. I'm out of here."

I headed for the door. Hiei was in front of me in a second. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Look, Hiei," I said. "I don't know how it is in Japan, but America is a free country. If I wanna go out to the movies alone, I can."

"You are a woman," Hiei said. "Even in a free country like America that isn't safe. We are coming with you."

I narrowed my eyes in challenge. "I don't need bodyguards."

Shuichi put a hand on my shoulder. "Then don't think of it that way, Ren. Please think of us as your friends."

I sighed. "You I am okay with. It's just the little guy with his attitude. And Yusuke, with his taking advantage of everyone!"

Yusuke put the bag down on the counter. "Hey! That's not fair! I was trying to be nice and you're just being in a bitchy mood all the time. That isn't my fault!"

I clenched my fists. "Look, if you guys are coming, whatever. I don't care. But I'm not calling anybody my friend till they earn it."

3:32 PM Carmike Park Theatre

Yusuke looked in the dark next to him at the weakened young girl.

She really was a sight. Although she was anemic, bruised, and without color, somehow she was still extremely pretty. He found that he wanted to be the one to release her from the darkness. The darkness that made her eyes shadowed that way…

"Yusuke…" her voice whispered to him. "If you aren't gonna watch the movie that's fine. But stop glaring at me intensely like that. It's freaky."

Yusuke jumped. "Eh? Sorry…"

He put a hand behind his head in a sheepish gesture.

Meanwhile, Hiei had never been to the movies before. He held the drink in his hand and examined it closely.

He looked it up and down, then poked it. "Hey…Kurama…"

Kurama turned. "You're supposed to call me Shuichi."

"The girl is hardly listening," Hiei said. "Anyway. What is this hollow stick in this cup? How the hell do I drink this drink?"

Kurama sighed. "It's a straw. You suck the drink out of the cup. How did you not know this?"

"We don't have straws in the Meikai," Hiei replied in a musing voice.

11:45 PM, ACU UP Apartments-Room 316

I sat in my living room, watching television with Yusuke. Finally I stood up and said, "It's been nice, but I need to get to bed."

"Wait," Yusuke said. "You had information on the Reikai Tentai. What do you know about them?"

"Only that they are just the stuff of charismatic occultists," I laughed a little. "Please. If the Reikai truly had such a team…I-I would hope they would have had time to help me. That was my prayer. But I lost faith in things like that. For some reason or another, whoever's up there is allowing me to suffer this daily pain."

With these words I turned, walking to my room.

Yusuke stood and followed me, opening his mouth for a response.

"Yusuke. Do not disturb me, even if the building is on fire, until morning," I said.

"Yes. Don't lose faith, Ren," Yusuke said. "I am sure someone will help you."

I looked at Yusuke. "So many times people tell me to have faith. But what good are the wings that faith gives you…if you do not know how to fly? Good night."

I closed the door, and locked it, a smirk on my face. I slipped off my shirt and white wings sprang from my back. Painfully hidden through Reiki training, I could only free them as I slept.

I feared that people would see them and attack me. I had no idea why I had them. Why a human girl would have wings.

That was the reason I ventured into the Reiki training and the beliefs of the Far East. My best friend was Japanese, and she taught me these things. She alone knew of my wings.

I folded the wide feathered things around my skin, warming my tired pale flesh. Quelling the power of these wings sucked all of my energy away.

But in one feather, lurked amazing powers. I kept a few in my pocket every day just in case things got bad.

But the Reikai Tentai…the prayer for them…it had been foolish. I found a website claiming that the Reikai kept a team around for missions. I had thought I might qualify. For help.

"Hm…Reikai Tentai…what a joke," I laughed, slipping a modified nightgown on and slipping into bed. After that, I curled my wings around myself and slept.


	2. Hiei and Ren

7:35 AM, Ren's Bedroom, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

The alarm buzzed across the room. I scrambled up, not quite gracefully, retracting my wings with Reiki.

That was the only feeling I liked. My power, my energy, welling up like a fountain...but then it had to force my wings into my body. The pain was searing. Imagine someone breaking one of your arms and forcing it against your body, all folded up and broken. And then, while you're imagining that, imagine your skin splitting open on an already wounded place, to welcome the broken bones in your body.

These tiny broken bones had to be dissembled and reassembled every day, because…I wanted them. Crazy as it might sound, those wings were a part of who I am, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

That's what I believed in those days.

I grabbed a handkerchief and stuffed it in my mouth, remembering my roommate. The handkerchief masked my screams.

7:36 AM Hiei's bedroom, Room 312, ACU UP Apartments

Hiei woke up with a scream at his throat. He had never sensed such pain in a human before.

Yes, he knew it was a human. Obviously that girl, that Ren.

He had noticed when he had met her that her Reiki was directed inward. But that was what was in her file.

The only way that she could be experiencing such pain was if...she was using her power like that on purpose.

"Hn…that idiot…" He unwrapped his Jagan. It glowed with his demon energy. He used it to locate Ren, but saw dark shadows descending on her.

His hand went to his sword hilt, but there was a blast of Reiki and all the shadows vanished.

Ren smirked at the window. "Next time try harder and give me a real fight, little ones."

A brittle burnt looking feather dropped from her hand to the ground.

Perhaps I was wrong, Ren, Hiei thought. Maybe we can be…what did she call it...friends.

7:45, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

"Yusuke!" I banged on the door. "C'mon, you'll be late!"

There was the sound of a bang and cursing as Yusuke got dressed, or so I assumed.

He opened the door.

"Get a jacket," I said, walking in to that bathroom and to the mirror. I made faces. "Stupid hair..."

"Hey, I think you're kinda cute," he said, coming up behind me.

I blushed, then elbowed him in the gut. "Don't think you can sweet talk me like that, gel-head."

He doubled back and blushed himself. "Hey, you! I don't use that much gel!"

"Sheesh," I said, pushing past him and out of the bathroom. "Relax. At least you aren't using mousse. That would make you more of a girl than me and that would be odd."

I made it to the kitchen and made us Poptarts in the microwave.

Yusuke came in after a bit, his hair all wet and combed out.

I dropped my poptart. "Why the hell didya do that?"

I blushed severely. Oh no…with his hair like that he's really cute…

"Look," he said, sitting at the table next to me. "I just...don't want you laughing whenever you see me."

"Aw...shut up," I said, blushing again. "I meant that your gel can't hold your hair down in this climate. I'll buy you the kind you need."

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, slamming a hand on the table and standing. "I don't need a girl buying me stuff!"

"Sheesh," I said. "Calm down. You can come with me."

12:23 PM Chili's

"Why are they here?" I pointed at Hiei and Shuichi.

"They're my friends," Yusuke said, his mouth full of food.

"What's with the headband, Hiei?" I asked. "Hiding a creepy scar or something?"

There was silence at the table.

"I am not the only one hiding something," Hiei said. He glared at me. It felt like it wasn't the first time that day that he had stared at me like that that day. Even though I hadn't seen him earlier at all.

"Hiei…have you been spying on me?" I asked, returning the glare in kind.

Shuichi and Yusuke looked from one to the other. Both of them looked as if they didn't like where this was going.

"If I had…" Hiei said, a blank look on his face. "You would never know."

"That's enough, Hiei," Shuichi said. "Don't let Hiei frighten you, Ren, he doesn't get along well with really anyone."

"Hm…" I said. "No. You don't frighten me, Hiei. You don't bullshit anybody. And you don't pretend to like me. So what if we don't get along. Me and Aiko fight all the time, and she's the only person who gives a damn about me. I'm not saying I expect you to care, I'm just saying…I don't hate you like I do most of everyone else."

Hiei looked at me. "Don't expect tears from me at your petty words, girl. I don't need your acceptance."

"Hiei!" Yusuke said. "She's trying to be nice."

"I know your type," Hiei said, glaring at me again. "You can't stand it when someone doesn't like you, isn't that right?"

I suddenly felt something…like a searing headache. Something trying to get inside my head? I reached in my pocket, grasped a feather, and blocked whoever it was, sending the Reiki power directly at whoever was after my mind.

BAM! Hiei landed directly on the floor.

Oh shit! Did I miss and hit him? I must have! Damn aim…I wasn't looking at my target! I should have found them first.

"I'll take him back to the apartment," Shuichi said.

"B-But Shuichi! Hiei needs medical attention!" I exclaimed.

Shuichi turned. "H-He has religious views on modern medicine, so I will treat him at the apartment."

Yusuke stood, paying the bill. "It's alright, Ren. Hiei is resilient. H-Hey wait are you…crying?"

"Shut up," I said softly, wiping my eyes. "I gotta go somewhere…it's a place I go when I need to be alone. So…don't follow me, Yusuke."

10:53 PM Ft. Phantom Lake, North Shore (Abandoned)

Hiei had never expected her to be this advanced. When he told the others what had happened, they had been skeptical.

But who wouldn't be? Ren's mental Reiki blast had instantly blinded his Jagan, knocking him over in pain.

He did not blame her of course, if anyone had been searching through his head, he would have attacked them as well. He would have probably killed them.

He found her standing on a rock on the north shore of the lake. She…had wings. Like some kind of human angel. But she couldn't control them, and kept hopelessly falling.

She was talking to herself, training herself. Working alone. No teacher to guide her. No one to help her.

"Who's there?" she said suddenly. "I know someone is there."

Hiei stepped out. "No threats? After what you did to my Jagan today I am surprised."

Ren stood at a safe distance, drawing a feather from her wings. "You…it can't be. You have a Jagan?"

Hiei unwrapped his forehead, showing her. "Yes. I am also a demon. I have been masking my aura from you humans. But what the hell are those wings supposed to be?"

Ren stared for a second. "Dammit…I am so sorry for attacking you."

"Don't be," Hiei snapped angrily. "I deserved an attack. It was my fault for being so careless as to not have expected it. Now what the hell are those wings?"

"I don't know," Ren said. "I was gonna cut them off…but my arteries run right through them. I learned Reiki so I could contain them in my back. I break all the bones and slide them in…and it's like I'm normal."

"Idiot!" Hiei hissed. "You could damage them! Haven't you ever heard of a seal?"

Ren shrugged. "Yeah, I guess, but I could never do that. I'm kinda scared to use my feathers on advanced stuff."

Hiei glared at her. "Well you're done doing all of this dangerous work by yourself. You can kill yourself using Reiki like this. And your body is already dying from the containment method you have been using. Try it with one of your feathers; I am certain it has the power, after what it did to my Jagan."

Ren took out a feather, and activated it with Reiki. Her wings folded and then were sucked into her back. It looked very odd to Hiei.

She reached back, scratching her back. "This feather here…" she pointed to a tattoo now on her neck. "It activates the others."

She raised the back of her shirt. Her wings were tattooed on her back.

"How did you come up with that?" Hiei asked her.

"I dunno," she said. "Can I say 'they told me to?' Or maybe…it's like that butterfly that is painted to look like an eye and it scares predators away. The butterfly didn't do that…it was made to do that."

Hiei raised an eyebrow at her. "Who are 'they?'

"The butterflies?"

He shook his head.

"The predators?"

He shook his head again.

"Oh! You mean who told me to use the feather's power like that. I…like to think it was someone else. Someone who already knows how to do it and is teaching me. Like someone who died already or maybe is still out there…waiting to find me and help me—"

"Don't be stupid," Hiei said, stopping her on their walk to the bus stop. "Don't go waiting and talking to invisible people just because you're lonely. I know now, and I already said I'd help, so shut up and don't go listening to voices in your head. That's dangerous."

"You…why are you helping me, Hiei?" Ren asked, sitting down inside the bus. "I thought you hated me. And…well…all humans."

"I am helping you because you are pathetic, end of story," Hiei said, folding his arms.

"But that's stupid," Ren said. "Why would you help someone who you really thought was pathetic?"

"You have potential, that's why," Hiei said. "Don't tell Shuichi or Yusuke about any of this."

Ren nodded, as the bus pulled up to the apartment complex.

"Hey, Hiei," she said as she was leaving. "What do you call a bird that cannot fly?"

"Hn…" he said. He was tired of her already.

She smiled sadly. "Dead. Goodnight."

So that night, Hiei couldn't sleep again, because he kept remembering her pain, and the blue eyes that had filled with tears the second she had caused pain for him…

Idiot girl. Why doesn't she fight this? Does she want to die?


	3. Ancient Rivalry

12:35 PM Yusuke's Room, room 316, ACU UP Apartments.

Yusuke got out of bed. He had knocked on Ren's door fifteen times and she hadn't stirred.

He got dressed and went next door.

Hiei answered. "Yes, Detective?"

"It's Ren," Yusuke said. "She won't leave her room."

"Let her sleep," Hiei said. "She was out all night."

"How would you know, Hiei?" Yusuke asked, looking shocked. They didn't…did they?

"It's not like that, idiot," Hiei replied, yawning. "Her car broke down and I found her out by the lake."

"But I thought your Jagan was-"

"I am not so weak that I have to lay back and be healed," Hiei said, sighing in an annoyed way.

Yusuke shrugged. "Whatever. As long as she's okay."

"I assure you, the girl is fine. I will look out for her. Go back about your schoolwork, Detective."

Yusuke did not answer, but returned to the apartment. He pulled a chair next to Ren's room.

What was Hiei's deal, thinking Ren was suddenly his responsibility? It was Yusuke's job to look out for her...right? Was he…failing?

7:35 AM Ren's Bedroom, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Urkkk...I couldn't breathe. It felt like I had been crushed.

I was lying down. I tried to roll over, to see what was happening, but I couldn't make myself move. I rolled my eyes upward.

A demon was standing over me.

"Ren, it had to be this way," he said. That voice...it was...

The form changed, and it was Yusuke standing over me. He pulled a knife from my belt and stabbed it into my feather tattoo.

"If not for your cursed wings, then maybe..." he shook his head, wiping his eyes.

Was he crying?

Blood coursed down my neck, and I awoke.

"Yusuke..." the name escaped my mouth.

I barely knew him. All I knew was that he slept through every class, annoyed me, was mostly obnoxious...I couldn't think of a reason to like him.

But in that dream...I had strange, unfamiliar romantic feelings for him. And he had been a demon...who killed me.

I got dressed, and splashed water on my face. "Just a dream. Nothing more."

I opened the door and saw Yusuke, asleep, sitting in a chair with his head leaning against the doorpost.

His face was surprisingly relaxed. Almost like all that tough-guy exterior was gone.

I knelt, whispering, "I wish I could talk to you when your personality is this relaxed."

His head started to fall over, and I grabbed him before he could fall out of the chair.

He jerked slightly. "Ren? W-What's up?"

He had stammered because he was in the middle of a yawn.

"Hey...how long have you been waiting out here?" I asked, releasing him.

"Since one...yesterday..." Yusuke said, still half-asleep. "Hiei's…not the only one who can…take care of ya."

I glared. "What did he tell you?"

"Relax," Yusuke said. "Hiei just said you got lost out by the lake and he came and got you."

"Then..." I said. "Come here, okay?"

He stood, stepping up to me. I pointed at my bed. "Sleep. You and I both know you can't make it back to your room. I will make an excuse for you."

He looked at me oddly, but did as I said.

I put a blanket on him. "Thank you...for worrying about me."

1:42 PM ACU UP Apartment Entrance

"Shuichi? Is that you?" I asked, almost running into him in the doorway. "I haven't seen you all week."

"I've been studying," Shuichi said. "Have you seen Aiko?"

"Yes, I just had a class with her," I replied. "But all she had to talk about was her date tonight."

"Oh," Shuichi laughed a little.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm her date," Shuichi said. "She and I met when she was studying abroad last year. I didn't want to ask her out then because…well…I didn't think we would ever see each other. When I saw her again in class…I thought maybe I had a second chance."

"Aw! That's so cute!" I exclaimed.

I think I surprised him, because he blushed severely.

We had made it to his apartment.

"Why don't you come in? Hiei has been asking about you," Shuichi said.

I stepped in the apartment. Hiei wasn't in the room, but it smelled great, like someone had been cooking. "Do you cook, Shuichi?"

"Yes," Shuichi said. "I make my own food. Sometimes I make a bento for Hiei, when I think he might eat it. Not always. Like today, he seemed…off. What did you two talk about?"

I laughed a little. "Birds."

I walked to his bedroom and was about to knock when Shuichi let me in. "He might be asleep. Just your presence seems to calm him."

Shuichi left the room and went back into the kitchen. I walked over to Hiei's bed, but it was empty.

"Wha—" I turned. "Oh…"

He was sitting on the window ledge, sword clutched in his hands like a child would clutch a teddy bear.

"You too, huh," I said softly. "You lose all toughness when you sleep. I feel like I could tell you. About what scared me last night. But I-I…heh. You'd never take it seriously."

Hiei's eyes opened. "Did you really think I couldn't hear you?"

I jumped back. "Dammit! You and your freakin Jagan!"

"Hn…" he said, sheathing his sword and stretching a bit. "I do relax sometimes, Ren. But my Jagan doesn't really sleep."

I glared at him. "Meh. Fine then."

"What scared you?" Hiei asked, hopping down from the ledge. If you can picture Hiei 'hopping.'

"I-I…" I stammered. "It was nothing. Nothing that would concern you."

I turned preparing to leave the room, when he was in front of me in a millisecond.

"Do you think I came all the way here for you to push me off?" he hissed. "You don't get the luxury of handling this alone. So tell me what's going on."

"I dreamed…Yusuke was a demon," I said softly. "And he killed me. He said it was because of my wings."

Some of the anger relaxed out of Hiei's features. "Hn…don't…dwell on it. We will not let that happen."

Was he trying to comfort me?

"Hiei, are you—"

"Don't you have some homework to do?" he snapped, looking away from me. "Go on. Don't need you saying you can't train later because you have to study."

I smirked. "Nah. You can count on me. I'll be back here at eight."

2:33 PM Ren's Bedroom, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Yusuke woke up to a banging on the door. "Sheesh. What happened to the nice version of Ren who lets me sleep all day?"

He opened the door to…Botan?

"Yusuke!" she said, hugging him. "I was so worried about you! When I got the news from Koenma, I thought the worst!"

"What on earth are you on about, Botan?" Yusuke asked, pulling free from her grasp.

"The girl!" Botan said. "We found out what exactly she is!"

Botan's kimono wearing frame shook with anger. "I can't believe Koenma sent you of all people here! And in her room too!"

"Botan!" Yusuke said. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That girl," Botan said. "She's an extremely rare type of demon. It's a demon that is so unstable it can only survive in a human host. She is an Ahiru. King Raizen was famous for wiping them out. But this…this…Ren…she didn't acquire her own DNA until after Raizen was dead…"

"No," Yusuke said. He banged a fist on the doorpost. "No. No. No! Ren isn't…she can't be…we can't just be enemies!"

"You knew when you took this mission that she was your enemy, Yusuke," Botan said. "She would not hesitate to kill you in your sleep if she knew you were a Mazaku. You have to protect yourself! I don't want to come back here and ferry you to the Reikai again!"

Yusuke sighed. "I don't…have to kill her…do I?"

"That is what is most desired by the Reikai," Botan said. "But I don't think…that you should kill her. Maybe she can still be saved. But…don't let her know what you really are…she may have a mind to kill any Mazaku she finds…be careful, Yusuke."

She pressed a black feather into Yusuke's hands.

"What the hell is this?" Yusuke asked.

"This is what Raizen used to defeat the Ahiru," Botan said. "All the thoughts and memories of Ren's people are contained in that feather. The story goes that the leader sacrificed her life to shed that one feather, and then gave it to Raizen to defeat them. It was the ultimate betrayal."

Yusuke felt the memories, but, as if they were not for him, he could not access them. He slipped the feather into his jeans pocket.

Botan left, her warning completed, and he went into the kitchen, slipping his shirt off.

At that moment, Ren came in. She looked at him weirdly.

"I-I…uhm…" she stammered. She grabbed a bag of chips, and went back to her bedroom.

How the hell does the Reikai consider her a threat?

8:19 PM North Shore, Ft. Phantom Lake

I jumped back, avoiding Hiei's sword as it came at me for the twelfth time.

I splayed my hand out, and feathers sharp as knives shot at him. He jumped upward, and I followed, unsteadily spreading my white wings.

I drew a feather and shot it at him. It lodged in his arm.

"Hn…" he said, yanking it out. The poison in its energy spread through his bloodstream and rapidly paralyzed him.

I hadn't expected this.

"Hiei!" I yelled, coming down. "Dammit! You weren't supposed to get hit! I-I don't know what I'm...gah!"

I had tripped over my wings, and rolled around until I was at his feet in a very non-angelic heap. He was standing with a shocked expression frozen on his face. I could see pain in his eyes.

"I see!" I said. I yanked one of my slightly bigger feathers. A bit of blood fell from my wing.

"Unh…" I fell again, my body crying out in pain. I stepped closer to Hiei. "I-I did this…I keep hurting you. I don't mean to…I-I wish I wasn't made this way."

I touched the wound with the feather, and there was a white glow as the wound closed.

I touched the feather tattoo on my neck, and my wings retracted. I caught Hiei as he fell forward. "Can you stand?"

"Of course," Hiei said, wrenching out of my grasp. "You gave me one of your alpha feathers, idiot."

"'Alpha'?" I tilted my head.

"You only have a few," Hiei said. "They take longer to grow back. Don't…waste them like that."

"It wasn't!" I smiled. "I wanted to help so I did!"

Hiei looked away. "I told you. Don't waste it. Just do what I say and stop acting like an idiot. You're going to get yourself noticed by the Reikai, using Reiki like that."

"What happened to your arm, Hiei?" I asked, indicating the one wrapped in bandages.

"I keep it wrapped it up to seal away its power," Hiei said.

"Lemme see!" I said, poking it.

He yanked his arm away. "Don't do that! You could activate it!"

He showed it to me.

"That's—" I gasped.

"What," Hiei said. "What is it?"

We got on the bus, as I answered.

"One of the Reikai Tentai was said to have a Jagan and wield the Dragon…" I replied. "Were you sent here for me, Hiei?"

"Hn…" Hiei didn't look happy. "Yes. But I wasn't sent to help you."

I looked at him, shock written on my face.

"The Reikai views you as a threat," Hiei said, sighing, as we got off the bus. "Do not tell Shuichi and Yusuke anything about your powers. They know you have them, but they do not know that you know. As long as we can keep them in the dark, you might be safe. Now go off to your room. I can't tell you anything else now. People could be listening in."

"Okay," I nodded. "Sweet dreams, Hiei."

"Hn…" He responded. "Oh…and one more thing…about the bird that cannot fly…"

"Huh?" I said, then remembered. "Oh…that."

"A child takes the bird inside into the warmth," Hiei stated. "The bird regains its strength and learns to fly on instinct alone."

I laughed. "But do you know what happens when the child releases the bird? It is snatched up by a predator."

Hiei looked at me irritably. "I was attempting to finish the story. Don't mistake it for encouragement."

"I never would, Hiei," I said, continuing to laugh as I went into my room.


	4. History Lesson

8:25 AM Yusuke's Room, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Yusuke woke up to the sound of vicious pounding on his door. He slipped out of bed, putting a shirt on, and walked to the door.

He opened it to see Ren with her hair half brushed. "I hope you weren't planning on skipping."

She brushed through the rest of her hair as Yusuke processed what she was saying.

"I was gonna sleep a little longer," Yusuke said.

"You're gonna get me in trouble," Ren said. "Everyone thinks we're in some kind of—"

She stopped. A blush rose to her cheeks. "Nevermind. Just come to class. Six more absences and you'll be expelled."

She turned and started to walk out. Yusuke grabbed her arm.

There was a flash and a zap of black energy, hitting her all at once. Ren fell to the ground, unconscious.

Shit…I was touching it! The feather! My hand was in my pocket and…SHIT!

He lifted her from the floor and carried her to her bed. She was breathing funny, all gasping and wheezing.

"Dammit! What do I do for you?" he asked worriedly, looking at how pale she had gotten. It was scary.

She jerked once. "AAAAAAH!"

Ren's eyes were still screwed shut, but she was screaming like it was the end of the world. It must have been the screaming that attracted Hiei.

"What the hell did you do to her, Detective?" Hiei asked darkly, a sword to Yusuke's throat. "You don't want me for an enemy."

"I-I didn't…" Yusuke backed off, hands up in surrender. "I never meant to hurt her. Hiei, she can't breathe."

Hiei sheathed his sword. He grabbed Ren's purse, and dumped it out unceremoniously. He picked through the contents, then took out a pink bag and unzipped it, drawing out an inhaler. He shook it twice, put it in Ren's mouth, puffing the medicine into her lungs.

Yusuke sat down in a chair next to the bed. "H-How did you know?"

"She's used that in front of me before," Hiei said. "The girl is asthmatic. Often she half-collapses, gasping for air. This isn't the first time I've helped her, and it won't be the last. Now, what did you do to her?"

Yusuke drew out the black feather. "I inherited this from Raizen. He used it to seal off her people back in the day. I-I didn't know…I was touching it when I touched her…"

"Damn it!" Hiei exclaimed. "You could have killed her, you idiot."

Yusuke dropped his head in his hands. "Will she be alright?"

"She'll live," Hiei said. "She is regaining the memory of her people as we speak from contact with that feather. You really are an idiot. You realize she might try to kill you. What do you plan on doing?"

"Telling the truth," Yusuke said. "I think it's time we told her who we all really are."

"Speak for yourself," Hiei replied. "I told her yesterday."

"WHAT?" Yusuke yelled.

"What do you expect?" Hiei said sharply. "It's natural that she would trust me over you. Instinctively some part of her must know not to trust a Mazaku. It is just how she is. It is how she will always be."

"Shut up," Yusuke said. "Those wounds on her. Are you responsible for all of her pain?"

Hiei glowered at him. "Don't make me the enemy. You are the only one who hurt her. Do it again and I'll kill you."

9:17 AM Ren's Room, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

"Ren…"

I opened my eyes. I was standing on a battlefield.

A girl my age with black wings came down and folded her wings the same way I did.

"Hey, you—you did that thing that I do!" I said, excited. "And you have wings! But yours are black. But maybe that's like race or something—"

"Shh!" the girl's finger went to her lips. "I am Rin. I am the reason why you and I are the only Ahiru left."

"You mean you are real?" I asked, not paying attention. I walked around her. She had short black hair and dark piercing eyes. She was dressed in some kind of dress of feathers. "Are you cosplaying or something?"

"Ren! This is important! It's about the Mazaku!" Rin said. "You and Yusuke are trapped in an ancient battle."

I faced her. "Yusuke is a demon…so then…when I passed out…he did that on purpose?"

"Yes," Rin said. "He possesses my alpha feather. The last alpha I had. I gave it to Raizen, his forefather, to wipe out our kind, the Ahiru, forever."

"YOU WHAT?" I yelled, suddenly feeling a little sick. "Why? So all the death…those images I saw…the bodies…the holocaust of the Ahiru…THAT WAS YOU AND RAIZEN?"

Rin sighed. "Do you know what the feathers do?"

"What?" I was still mad.

"They are wish-granters," Rin said. "In my time, Ahiru were guardian angels. We sent shadows that caused pain and sadness away, and we helped people. There was a system and a code. But Ahiru got greedy. So the power was sealed so that it could be only used for selfless acts. If used selfishly, the Ahiru would die. Even if it was to save their own life. In this logic, an Ahiru couldn't use power on anyone they knew. We didn't have 'charges' anymore. More of us started to die. We were just too selfish."

"Why not just use a wish to turn all Ahiru human then?" I said irritably.

"I proposed that to Raizen," Rin said. "We had peace talks. He said we would be killed. He was correct. The feathers can be used for one other purpose, and you know this one. Pure killing. Our blood is poison to any other life form. So the Ahiru went to war to take over everything. The Makai. The Ningenkai. And the Reikai."

"So you did it," I said. "You killed all of them. And…then…who am I?"

"Since the power of the Ahiru is so needed by humans," Rin replied. "I sealed myself in a place outside of worlds. My job is to seal this power in a new human every hundred or so years. I warn you, Ren, do not corrupt your powers. Stay away from the Mazaku."

I woke up with my body feeling like it had after the last surgery I had been in. Drugged up and beaten down.

I tried to sit up, but a blurry hand pushed me back down.

"Can you breathe okay?" Yusuke asked, his voice cracking. "Hiei showed me…you have an inhaler…if you need it, I can…"

"I'm breathing fine, Yusuke," I said softly. I looked at him. For a demon who just tried to kill me, you look pretty remorseful. "You…what did you do…"

"Ren…" Yusuke had a look on his blurred features that I had never seen before. He was uncertain, upset…scared. Really scared. "You were gasping…I got you back to your bed…I…almost killed you…Hiei made you breathe again…that inhaler."

"You mean you don't know what you did?" I leveled my eyes at him. "Is that the best answer you can come up with?"

That's when I saw them. Even if Yusuke was a demon, he was still human too, and there were dark shadows descending on him. I recognized doubt, sadness, fear…all eating away at him.

I slipped my hand in my pocket and drew out a feather. It glowed, flashing the room like a camera, then shriveled up in my hand. The shadows were gone. Whatever they were.

"Hey…did you just…help me?" Yusuke looked up at me, confusion in his eyes.

"I don't know," I said. "Did you just try to kill me?"

He flinched. "I didn't mean to. Why did you help me if you know that we're enemies?"

"I helped you because…" I sighed. "Even though I know one day you and I are 'destined to fight'…I don't think I would wish the ending to play out any different."

I slipped out of the bed, still fully dressed.

"What the hell does that mean?" Yusuke asked.

"It means that if it was gonna be anybody…I like my odds with you," I said.

Yusuke smirked. "Ren…you aren't half bad."

7:24 PM Ren's Parent's Home, other side of the state

"Why are we even here?" Hiei asked me, annoyed.

"Well, I had to go home for the weekend, and I'm going clubbing," I said. "I know how you are about protection, so…"

"Clubbing? What's that?" Hiei said.

Shuichi explained it to him discreetly.

Yusuke sighed. "I'll be sleeping. Wake me up when it's time to go clubbing."

I laughed and walked off into my room.

An hour later I came back wearing an open-backed halter top and my sparkly skinny jeans. I don't do jewelry.

I felt a bit uncomfortable in something so…well provocative, cuz it dipped down really low in the front.

I stepped in the living room.

Yusuke came in around the same time, and his face flushed red. "When did you get clothes like that?"

"They're my city clothes," I smirked. "Like them?"

"Eyes back in your head, Detective," Hiei said.

9:02 Club Valice, Downtown

Yusuke watched Ren mingle with the crowd. She seemed to get on so well with these type of people.

She was leading the dancing, and she didn't seem to mind that every eye was on her. The lights flashing, the energy pumping, it was like she belonged there.

So it should have been no surprise to him what happened next.

The VIP room, closed off to minors, which she was for another three months, suddenly sent a runner to invite her in exclusively.

Yusuke grabbed Kurama's shoulder. "These Club Valice people are getting sketchy. They just took her back in the back. Where they keep the high-end illegal drugs. Why the hell did she pick this place anyway?"

"I don't know, Yusuke," Kurama said. "Hiei already went in after her. They didn't see him slip by."

Hiei returned in a moment with Ren. She looked pissed.

"What's your deal?" she said. "I just want to cut loose okay!"

She wrenched free of his grip.

"Hn…" Hiei said. "That bitch in there is trying to poison you."

"Sheesh…" Ren said. "I get it. I'll throw it out when I get home. They'll probably get all pissy if I do it here."

12:59 AM, Ren's Bedroom, Ren's Parents House

I sighed, spinning the vial in my hands.

"Going to try some demon blood?"

What do you want, Rin? I said irritably in response.

"That vial you have there…it will give you an edge against the Mazaku. You should use it to kill him."

Shut up, I rolled over.

There was a knock at my door.

I opened it. "Shuichi? This is late for you…"

"I think we are past all of this, Ren," Shuichi said. "Hiei told me you know. My name is Kurama. I am a demon, just like Hiei and Yusuke."

"But you give off human energy," I replied.

He explained his origin quickly to me. "I know you received demon blood. Your kind isn't meant to have something like that."

"Don't say it like that, S—Kurama," I snapped.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like you know anything about the Ahiru," I glared at him. "We aren't the same thing as you. I'm supposed to help people and I don't even know how to help myself. The one person who befriended me turns out to be my enemy. And I know my destiny. I know how the story ends. If the demon blood were to save my ass a couple times though, I wouldn't mind it. For now, it stays tucked away. And don't go telling Hiei."

Kurama looked at me with the face of one who understands suffering. He finally managed a bit of a smile. "I won't tell Hiei."


	5. Reconciliation

10:25 AM Guest Bedroom, Ren's Parent's House

I opened the door to the guest room. I stepped over to Yusuke's bed.

He was still asleep, having what appeared to be a nightmare. His face looked really angry.

I flinched, moving back a step.

He grabbed the side of the bed in tension.

How do you talk to someone you're destined to be killed by?

"You want me to leave?" Hiei asked, glaring me down from his perch atop the desk.

"Where's Kurama?" I asked dully, sipping some water.

"He said he was going to attend to some business," Hiei said. "I'll leave you with the Detective."

He walked out.

"Yusuke…" I said softly. "I know you're going to kill me. I like that someday I get to fight you…but I know I won't be able to touch you. I don't have the arrogance to believe that I could win. And besides that…if winning means you have to die…I would rather lose. So, I know you can't hear me, but…I concede to you."

His face relaxed. The anger in his face was gone. He looked good like that.

I might have thought about kissing him. Maybe. If I didn't think he'd kill me on the spot.

Truth was, I didn't really know him. Or what…he thought of me.

There was so much I hadn't really thought about. Like why would he, an enemy, get so upset after hurting me?

Why did it matter to him? We could never look at each other as anything but enemies, wasn't that right? And then he would kill me. I would die.

I had to die, right? The future couldn't be…altered?

"Hey, how long are you going to sit like that?" Yusuke said.

"Like what?" I asked, not really surprised that I hadn't noticed him waking.

"Like you're worrying about something stupid again," Yusuke said.

I glared at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You did it when Hiei got hurt," Yusuke said, sitting up and stretching. "You get upset over things you can't control."

"As opposed to you, who does everything impulsively and doesn't give a shit about anyone?" I responded angrily.

"Hey," Yusuke said. "I care, same as you. I just don't show it."

I sighed. "Idiot. My mom made breakfast. If I had made it I wouldn't bother trying to get you up. But it was my mom. So get your ass up and don't be disrespectful."

"Oh you have a mom complex, like Kurama," Yusuke said.

"Do me a favor," I said. "Stop trying to figure me out. The more you know about me, the harder it's going to be for you when you have to—"

I stopped. A tear had escaped and there were more to follow.

"Huh? What?" Yusuke jumped and sat down in front of me. "Dammit…why are you crying?"

"Stop it!" I yelled, standing. "Stop being…nice…to me. A-Ahiru are supposed to h-hate…y-your kind!"

It couldn't have been worse if I had hit him across the face. His eyes betrayed pain. Pain that I had caused.

At that moment, Hiei entered the room. He grabbed me and dragged me back to my room and locked the door.

"Idiot," he said. "Yusuke could snap and kill you."

"I want him to!" I yelled back. "I'm tired of this pain. Every breath is agony! You can't understand!"

"You think I don't understand pain?" Hiei said angrily. "Stop trying to act like the world is your tragedy! You can't live this way. Stupid, idiot girl! Did I train you for nothing? Aren't you going to change the world? Or was that all lies too?"

"I can't save a world that doesn't want to be saved," I replied. "Why should I? Who the hell is gonna save me? You three came to kill me!"

Hiei slapped me across the face. "Coward. You can choose to be weak like this your whole life. Or you can overcome it. You don't have to relive the Ahiru's legacy."

He left the room.

I cried for a while, I'll admit.

After an hour, the door opened again. Yusuke stood there. It was silent for a bit.

"Well," he said. "How do I say this? I'm sorry Raizen killed your people. He and I aren't the same, y'know."

"I'm not mad at you," I said after some silence. "I didn't mean to say that. I don't really know how to…be friends with you. You…shouldn't be nice to someone who you're about to be fighting with."

"What?" Yusuke scratched his head. "I don't get it. I have a lot of friends that enjoy fighting with me. I met half my friends by fighting…"

"But in this fight…one of us dies," I said.

"Then I'm not fighting," Yusuke replied. "Normally I would fight no matter what but…I'm not gambling your life like that."

"But you can't just—"

"Ren," Yusuke said. "I will never hurt you. I'm going to prove to you that at least one Mazaku isn't out to kill you."

I stood there in silence. "I don't…I…"

"What you think is right is sometimes wrong," Yusuke said. "Just cuz the Reikai sent us to keep an eye on you, doesn't mean we can't also decide for ourselves to be on your side. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure the Reikai still kinda want me dead, but they just can't manage to do it."

I sort of laughed.

"Sheesh, finally," Yusuke said. "I was starting to think you didn't laugh, Ren."

He reached into his pocket and drew out the black feather. I tensed up instantly.

"Relax," he said. "I'm giving it back to you. The Ahiru are your people…so the feather should be with you. It won't hurt you if it's in this bottle."

He stuck it in a bottle and handed it to me. "In case you ever want to go back there."

I smirked. "Could you destroy it instead?"

He looked at me, perplexed. "But it's your history."

"No," I said. "Those people were greedy, selfish, and used their powers for evil. I am human. I may also be Ahiru…but I would never hurt anyone to get what I wanted. I want…to believe that."

Yusuke threw the bottle up and shot his Spirit Gun at it, disentigrating it and the contents.

"Like I said before," he said. "You worry about stupid things."

"And that's relavent why?" I asked.

"Cuz," Yusuke said. "I didn't figure it out till later, that you used Reiki against Hiei's Jagan. But now that I know…if it had been me I would have tried deliberately to blind him permanently for spying. But you…it was an accident, and you got so upset. It was crazy. But you're right. You aren't like the Ahiru of the past; cuz for some crazy reason, you care about random strangers like us."

I smiled. "You aren't random strangers. You guys are my friends."

"Hey, you're cuter when you're happy, y'know," Yusuke said.

"Don't ruin it," I replied.


	6. Climax

6:22 AM Yusuke's Bedroom, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Ren was standing on the roof of their building. She was wearing an openbacked top, and her wings suddenly sprang from her back in a burst of glowing white light.

It was beautiful, pure...right. The way she was meant to be.

'I know that isn't true,' said a voice. 'The Ahiru are disgusting, horrid creatures. Made to fill the earth with light, they perverted their power and filled it instead with darkness.'

"Sh-Shut up!" Yusuke yelled. "You don't get to talk like that and live!"

But then he realized that that voice…was his own. His own thoughts.

'I need to fight her,' it continued. 'I need to destroy her. Before she fills the earth with darkness.'

"She is Ren!" Yusuke yelled back. "She isn't evil! Stop it!"

'If she is so good…' the voice said. 'Then what is she doing with someone who has thoughts like these about her?'

A flash, and he saw himself, as the Mazaku, stab Ren in the neck, killing her. He watched as her wings went limp.

'If she ever uses her powers in front of you or you transform in front of her, there will be a battle, and this will be the end of it.'

His eyes widened with shock and he was forced awake.

7:46 AM, Ren's Bedroom, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

"Hey!" Yusuke poked me. "Come on, get up!"

"Huhmm…" I muttered. I reached out, swatting at him.

He grabbed both of my wrists and pulled me up gently.

"Hiei wants you for training," Yusuke said.

I yawned, absently falling against Yusuke's chest. "Training for what?"

"It's just what he said," Yusuke replied, slowly putting his arms around me.

I suddenly realized what I was doing, blushed, and pulled back. "I…uhm…come with me?"

"Wait…what?" Yusuke was shocked.

"I want…you to see them," I said. "My wings."

Yusuke paused. He looked down. "No."

He stood up. "Go ahead and get ready for school. I'll make breakfast and tell Hiei you'll be along after class."

"But Yusuke, I—"

The door was already closed.

I quickly dressed and ran into the kitchen. "Oi! What's the deal with you, Yusuke? You on your man-period?"

Yusuke twitched and set down the plate. "No. Look, just don't use your powers in front of me."

"What?" I was shocked. "Is there…something wrong with having wings? Are you ashamed to be around me now?"

"It's not like that!" Yusuke yelled. "We just can't use our powers in front of each other or we'll be forced to fight and I-I…don't like the ending."

I sighed. "I see. I'll just go to class now."

9:23 PM ACU UP Apartments

"What was with you?" Hiei snapped at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean your lack of focus at training," Hiei said. "Did the detective do something?"

"N-No!" I said. "H-He…I was…we were…it's nothing."

I went to my room, slamming the door.

I sat down on the bed, breathing hard.

Yusuke's never gonna look at me the same now. Never. I wish I had something. Something that got my confidence up.

'But you do,' the voice of Rin entered my head.

What are you doing in my head?

'Simple,' Rin laughed. 'You released me when you destroyed my feather. Now if you want confidence, go drink some demon blood.'

That'll make me kill Yusuke.

'Hardly,' Rin replied. 'No amount of demon blood will take away your free will and convictions. If you don't want to kill him, you won't. The only time he is in danger is if you are in your Ahiru form around him. At that time your instinct will kick in to view him and all demons as enemies.'

All demons? Meaning Hiei as well?

'Ahiru are protectors of humans, and demons and humans have always been enemies.'

I sighed, falling back on the bed. It was so depressing, being an Ahiru. No one was like you at all. The only ones who wanted to train you were people you were supposed to view as enemies.

That explains why…I poisoned Hiei…that time. Because he's a demon. All my friends except Aiko are demons.

I pulled the drawer open, pulling out the vial. I sniffed it. Sure does smell like blood. And I can tell it's from a demon.

A moment passed with me staring at it. Then I downed it. You ask me why?

I would say that I wanted to know what it was like to be like them.

11:42 PM Living Room, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Yusuke heard the sound of footsteps. He turned his head and almost fell off the couch.

It was Ren, but what was she wearing? The halter top was better. Where the hell did she get that dress?

"Hey…what are you…wearing?" he asked.

"So this ultimate power feeling…" she said softly. "Is it what it's like when you're a demon, Yusuke?"

"Sometimes…mostly when I first got it, and…wait, what?" he looked confused. "What's wrong with you?"

"Everyone tells us we should be enemies…right…" she said, sitting down next to him. "What if you and I were together instead? I mean…it would stop all of the fighting."

"Ren…what are you saying?" Yusuke asked, backing off a bit. He did harbor feelings for her…but he wasn't going to get his hopes up. Ren was guarded. This just didn't add up.

"Do I really have to say it?" Ren asked. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Yusuke felt her pulling him in as he kissed her back. He didn't want to, and he knew this wasn't her…but part of him wanted to be with her.

6:17 AM Living Room, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

I woke with a massive headache. "What the hell…?"

I looked down. "Sheesh…why am I wearing this lingerie…oh wait…NO WAY!"

I fell off the couch.

"Will you calm down," Yusuke said. "It wasn't that bad, really…"

"MAYBE NOT FOR YOU!" I yelled. "I can't believe I did that! Aw damn it!"

"Look, let's just forget it and move on," Yusuke said. "I'm sorry."

He stood up and turned to leave.

"No wait!" I said, a little too loudly. "Dammit. I didn't mean…I just…I'm awkward okay? And you're attractive…and now I'm going to be really weird for awhile…"

"You already are kinda weird," Yusuke said. "But it looks good on you."

7:19 AM Yusuke's Room, Room 316, ACU UP Apartments

Ren knocked, then entered. "Hey did you see my toothbrush?"

Yusuke turned and looked at her. "Wait a second…were your eyes always coal black like that?"

"Nah, they're colored contacts for Halloween," she said. "Like 'em?"

"Look lady…" he said. "Don't play games! You aren't Ren, so who the hell are you?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped. "Sheesh, if you don't wanna help me out you could've said so."

She opened the window, and the tattoo on her back glowed.

Shit. If those wings come out…we'll end up killing each other!

"Don't do it Ren! I don't want to have to fight!" he yelled.

"It's destiny, no one can change it!" she replied. Black wings shot out of her back.

But Ren's feather was white…and this is the color of the betrayer of her people…

A shock shot through him and he realized that he was reverting back to demon form. Damn…that girl will fight me. Because that isn't Ren…

"DETECTIVE LOOK OUT!" Hiei yelled.

A stream of razor sharp feathers shot at Yusuke. He dodged, but barely.

Hiei glared at the black winged angel. "You will die for taking her body like this!"

He gathered mortal flame in his hand and shot it in the kill spot—directly at her black wings.

The girl collapsed, wings folding and returning to her back while still aflame.

"Ren!" Yusuke had been frozen, but now ran to her side. By this time he had fully transformed, but he didn't care. She could be dying now!

But then something happened, and he dropped her. Her wings sprung back out, white again. Her blue eyes opened, wide with fear.

"Yusuke? Yusuke don't—"

Something in him had snapped. He was still in control, but he was being driven by instinct, not anything else.

"You're not…You're not Ren," He said, taking the blade from her waist and stabbing it into her feather tattoo. "Die, Ahiru!"

"Unh…I'm happy…to have it end…this way…" Ren looked up at him. "I wish I had been able to be…with you a little longer…"

"Ren?" Hiei leaped forward. "Detective you killed her!"

His hand went to his sword hilt.

"My last wish Hiei is that you don't kill him," Ren said. "He…already hates himself…now…I'm sorry Yusuke…"

Her eyes closed.

Yusuke knelt down. Blood trickled from her neck. She was no longer breathing.

"Dammit…" Hiei said. "Dammit. You idiot. See that there?"

He pointed to a small feather tattoo next to Ren's original one.

"Detective, the girl conceived a child!"


End file.
